SBE Chapter 16 By-Laws
Approved – November 10, 2014
ARTICLE ONE
NAME AND PURPOSES
Section 1. Name. The name of this organization shall be the Society of Broadcast Engineers, Chapter 16, Incorporated, herein after referred to as the Chapter.
Section 2. The Society. The Society of Broadcast Engineers, Incorporated, is a national professional association, with headquarters located in Indianapolis, Indiana, hereinafter referred to as the Society. The purpose of the Society is to serve the professional needs of those persons engaged in Broadcast Engineering. This includes Radio, Television, and Industry.
Section 3. The Chapter. The Society of Broadcast Engineers Chapter 16 is a regional organization affiliated with the Society.
ARTICLE TWO
MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. Each member of the Chapter shall be a member in good standing with the society. Each member shall provide the secretary with his or her name, Society number, mailing address, E-mail address, and employment affiliation.
Section 2. The qualifications and classes of membership shall be as defined in the Constitution of the Society.
ARTICLE THREE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND DUTIES
Section 1. The affairs of the Chapter shall be managed by the Board of Directors. The Board shall be composed of officers elected as Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer. The Chapter may elect to combine the offices of Secretary and Treasurer into a single position. The immediate past chairman will be a member of the board. There shall also be (2) elected directors. The officers may appoint committee chairmen from time to time who shall act as advisors to the Board of Directors.
Section 2. The number of officers of the Chapter shall be not less than three (3). Each officer and director shall hold office for the term for which he or she is elected or appointed and until his or her successor shall have been elected or appointed and qualified.
Section 3. Any vacancy occurring in the Board of Directors may be filled by appointment of a Chapter member to the vacant position by the remaining directors. An officer or director appointed to fill a vacancy shall serve the unexpired term of his or her predecessor in office.
Section 4. Three (3) board members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. The act of the majority of the members present at a meeting at which a quorum is present shall be the act of the Board of Directors.
Section 5. Meetings of the Board of Directors, regular or social, may be held at any reasonable location and time designated by the Chairman upon a minimum of three (3) days written or electronic notice.
ARTICLE FOUR
OFFICERS AND DUTIES
Section 1. The membership of the Chapter shall elect the officers, consisting of a Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer.
Section 2. The terms of all the officers shall be one (1) year.
Section 3. No officer shall serve more than two (2) consecutive terms in the same office.
Section 4. The terms of the office shall rum for one year starting on September 1 in the year of the annual election.
Section 5. No officer shall receive any compensation for the services performed in his or her official capacity, but officers shall be reimbursed for reasonable expenses incurred in the performance of official duties.
Section 6. A vacancy in the office of Chairman shall be filled by the Vice-Chairman. The Chairman shall fill vacancies in the other offices by appointment until the time of the next upcoming election.
Section 7. The Chairman shall preside at all meeting of the Chapter and shall perform all other duties normally associated with the office.
Section 8. The Vice-Chairman shall assume the duties of the Chairman in his or her absence, and shall assist the Chairman with other duties normally associated with the office. The Vice-Chairman shall be the Program Chair.
Section 9. The Secretary shall record the minutes of all meetings of the Chapter. The Secretary shall be responsible for the circulation of meeting notices and shall send meeting reports and attendance records to the Society Executive Secretary, and shall keep any other Chapter records as may become necessary. The Secretary shall be the contact person for the Chapter’s attorney, or registered agent, and be responsible for filing the Non-Profit Corporation Annual Report with the State of Washington Secretary of State.
Section 10. The Treasurer shall be established as the authorized contact with the chapter’s financial institution. The Treasurer also shall be responsible for timely and accurate filing of any state and federal financial forms, including but not limited to, IRS Form 990-N. If professional accounting assistance becomes necessary, the board shall choose a suitable professional to manage some or all of the state or federal accounting requirements. The Treasurer shall post an Annual Treasurer’s Report to the Waveguide upon completion of a year-end financial review by the board and/or accountant.
Section 11. The Chapter shall maintain a checking account and other accounts necessary for the purpose of managing its business affairs. The Chairman and the Treasurer shall be the authorized signatures for the account, along with additional Directors as may be designated by the Officers. Checks for the accounts greater than five hundred dollars ($500.00) shall require two signatures.
ARTICLE FIVE
COMMITTEES
Section 1. The Chairman shall appoint committees as required and for the length of the time required, but not to exceed the Chairman’s term of office.
Section 2. Standing Committees: A Nominations and Election Committee shall consist of at least three (3) members who will solicit candidates and conduct the election of officers as outlined in Article Six.
ARTICLE SIX
NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS
Section 1. A Nominations and Election Committee shall be appointed by the Board of Directors before the March meeting each year. The committee shall consist of three (3) members, and shall nominate a slate of officers and announce the candidates at the May meeting. Additional nominations shall be solicited from the membership at large.
Section 2. The annual election shall be at the June meeting. The election shall be conducted by ballot posted on the Chapter website, sent by email on the chapter remailer or distributed at the May meeting. Any member of the Chapter in good standing may vote either in person, or on the web, or by mail. Mail ballots must be received by the day before the election. Election shall be by a simple majority of votes cast.
Section 3. The Nominations and Election Committee shall supervise the election, tally the votes and notify all candidates and the Secretary of the results. The Secretary shall notify the members of the results on the Chapter website within 24 hours of the election. The Secretary will also notify the SBE National Office of the election results. The Nominations and Election Committee shall act as arbitrator in any election dispute.
Section 4. The new slate of Chapter officers will begin their terms of office on September 1st .
Section 5. In the case of a tie, the election will be decided by a coin toss. It will be administered by the election committee.
ARTICLE SEVEN
CHAPTER MEETINGS
The Chapter shall meet once a month, with the meeting dates, time, and location to be determined by the Chairman, with advance notice to the Chapter membership. Said advance notice shall be posted on the Chapter website and the Chapter remailer, stating the place, day, and hour of the meeting and, in the case of a special meeting, the purpose or purposes for which the meeting is called. Said notice shall be delivered not less than seven (7) days before the date of the meeting.
ARTICLE EIGHT
DISCIPLINE
The Chapter reserves the right to refer disciplinary actions to the National SBE organization.
ARTICLE NINE
AMEMDMENTS
Section 1. The Articles of Incorporation or By-laws may be amended as follows: On either a resolution proposed by the Board of Directors, Chapter Officers, or by a petition by not less than ten per cent (10%) of the Chapter members. Copies of the proposed amendment shall be submitted to the Chapter membership on the Chapter website and remailer for approval by ballot.
Section 2. Absentee ballots on the proposed amendments shall be returned to the Secretary within thirty (30) days of the notification.
Section 3. Any further discussion and voting shall take place at the next scheduled meeting.
Section 4. If two-thirds (2/3) or more of the votes cast are in favor of the amendment, the amendment shall take effect thirty (30) days after its adoption.
Section 5. When the amendment is adopted, the Secretary shall notify all Chapter members of such on the Chapter website.
ARTICLE TEN
DISSOLUTION
Section 1. Any dissolution of the Chapter shall be carried out pursuant to RCW 24.03 et seq. Subject to the requirements of RCW 24.03.225, the assets shall be distributed in accordance with the guidelines prescribed by the Board of Directors of the Society of Broadcast Engineers, Incorporated.
ARTICLE ELEVEN
EDUCATIONAL FUND
Section 1. The Chapter shall perpetually maintain a Chapter 16 Educational Fund. The Educational Fund will be overseen by the chapter’s Board of Directors, consisting of the Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary, and Treasurer.
Section 2. The Board will ensure that the Scholarship Committee performs its required duties, those including but not limited to designing, improving, promoting and distributing the scholarship(s).
Section 3. The Board will appoint (at least 3) Scholarship Committee Members. The Board has the authority to replace a committee member if he or she is not performing their duties.
Section 4. The Scholarship Committee members have no term limit, and may serve until he or she resigns or is otherwise unavailable.